


The One Golden Bird

by Lizzywhitewolf



Category: The Huntsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/M, No Rest For The Wicked - Freeform, marriage life, retirement doesnt work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-09-06 20:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8768521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizzywhitewolf/pseuds/Lizzywhitewolf
Summary: Eriks life is good, he and Sara have built a small happy life together I'm the north, under Tull's reign.Snow's life has been just as good, but it quickly falls into shadow when voices plague her small family.





	1. Chapter 1

Tull was his right hand man, his shield.  
Freya was his mind, his decision in battle.  
Snow became is his heart beat, pushing him ever on.  
William was his guardian, something he could trust.  
But Sara was his soul.  
As children she motivated him, kicking his ass every time he faltered.  
As adults she pushed him on, kissing his ass every time he slowed.  
Sara who's heart had been broken by an image of him, but had trusted him once again.  
So it was back to ass kicking.

With a mouth full of mud, Erik pushed himself up onto his elbows.  
"Is there a reason ya keep doing this to meh"  
Sara laughed. "To help ya with yer footing. Yer feet 'ave gotten lazy in yer old age."  
"I'm 34, it's not old."  
"Please yer almost middle aged." Sara finnaly jumped down from the fence, landing in the muck of the fighting ring beside her husband. "Now, are we going to work or not?"  
Erik growled as he stood. "Your the one never pulling through, I stand here, waving and axe and sword while ya do nothing but mock."  
Sara cocked her head to the side. "Ya think I'm losing meh touch?"  
"I know ya are. Now, if ya'll kindly start helping me keep in fightin sh-"  
Erik stopped speaking as an arrow he hadn't known was on Sara's person lodged itself in his boot. He glared at Sara as Erik pulled it out. "These were meh favorite pair."  
"I'll make ya new ones. Once you catch that deer ya've been promisin meh." Sara leanded her bow back agaisnt the outside of the fence. "Ya know we won't get through winter witout one."  
"I know, Sara." Erik still couldn't stop the grin from creeping over his face everytime he could says her name with a vision of her death in his eyes, even after three years of being together again. "I'll hunt tonight, and tomorrow mornin."  
"I'll come wit in the morning."  
"No" the answer came to quick.  
Sara rolled her eyes. "We dont even know yet, and your treatin meh like I've already got a swollen belly. "  
"Yer still actin like the teen who had to be rescued from a 'alf dressed Tull and a angry porcupine at the crake of dawn."  
"One time. That was time bloody time and ya act like I think was a daily occurrence." Sara whined, wrapping her hands around his neck, tangling her finger in his ponytail.  
Erik smiled wider and place one hand on her waist and the other on her belly. "I'll keep ya and our possible child safe as I can, there'll beh no arguing on that point."  
"I am arguing the point, weh don't know and won't for another two weeks atleast, I 'ave missed a few bleedins before."  
"Please stay home. I'll be back by mid day and weh can go together in the evening if I don't catch anything."  
Sara opened her mouth to respond but Erik silenced her with a kiss.  
She pushed him back with laugh. "Ya can't just keep kissin meh everytime ya want meh to agree-"  
Another kiss quieted her again. She laughed into his mouth and Shoved him away.  
"See?" Erik asked with a laugh as Sara stepped awag from him. "I can, ya don't like meh to."  
"Shut up and gather some roots for dinner." Sara laughed as she strolled back to their small cottage. All this time with him and he still made her laugh like no other could.

She had just pulled down a hunk of venison from the rafters for dinner when she heard hoof beats.  
Grabbing her bow, Sara Huntsmen darted from her home to her husband's side. He stood tall and ready, sword in hand and axe at his waist as the horses crested the hill.  
Erik stepped in front of Sara as she readied her bow with an arrow. She saw an emblen on the flags raised over the armoured men and tensed, raising her bow and taking aim at their leader. But Erik laughed, and relaxed, stepping slightly to the side, no longer fully guarding Sara.  
She stood confused until Erik stepped forward and waved his free hand, calling out with joy, "William! My lord!"  
The lead rider pulled his horse to a stop in front of Sara's husband. "Erik, good to see you again. This must be Sara." The rider pulled off his helmet, showing the world bright eyes and wavey brown hair, both accenting the perfect face for a handsom prince.  
"That I am. William, the king yes? Sara had heard much of Snow White and William from Erik over the years.  
"Queen's Consort. Never liked the leadership role that king would demand. Snow is the Queen and she needs no King, just a general she can trust." William smiled as he thought of his wife.  
"Yer a romantic fluff."  
"I like her, Erik. Your a lucky man."  
"I am. Now come on in. It isn't a palace, but Sara and I were just making dinner. Yer welcome to it, but we won't have enough to feed your men."  
William smiled, "don't worry about them." He explained. "We all packed several weeks worth of food."  
With that William turned and mentioned with his hand for the men to relax, then followed Sara as she lead her husband and his friend into her home. She picked up the dried, salted meat and cut off several hunks while Erik washed the carrots in his pockets and fetched water from the barrel in the corner. William tried to help but just kept getting the way of a well rehearsed routine.  
When they were settled, William asked is Erik was happy with his new life.  
"Yes, I am, I haven't harmed a man in over three months. Now don't get meh wrong, but what are ya doing here? With an armed battalion?"  
"We are not at peace with the north yet, Erik. I understand Tull is your friend, you've wrote about him often, but he is a war lord and you are living on his back step. Snow insisted they weren't needed but half the court are terrified of the north."  
"Good. They should be." Sara proclaimed, her hands balling into fists. "Freya isn't dead, her body vanished from that hall, and weh've been hearin about a gold raven flyin about by the castle. Ravenna may be livin still as well. Yer people have every right to fear the north still. The bloody summers are still holding onto Freya's chill."  
Erik layed a hand on Sara's thigh, easing the tension out of her. "William, yer avoidin the question."  
"I ask for your help, Erik. You've faced the evil queen twice and won. Your my family's best hope. Snow has had one child already, my son, and now we expect another, but a mirrior in Snow's room spoke to my son yesterday, claiming that the child to born will be a sister who steals hid life away. Snow also heard a raven on her window sill saying that her daughter will have more beauty and purity than Snow could ever muster." William paused for a moment, he stared into Erik's eyes, beseechingly. "I have been hearing my father's voice in my sleep urging me to pack up my family and run. Your THE Huntsman. Please help my family."

"How? I can't just take down a voice."  
"The golden bird, Sara mentioned. I've seen one by the castle. If we can find and eradicate them all-"  
"Hold on!" Sara interrupted. "Wjat do you mean all if them. I've only see one, and rarely. It may be one flying back and forth. I don't know."  
Erik leaned back in his chair, he had a maybe pregnant wife beside him, and a terrified friend and father of one and a half, in front of him.  
He looked at Sara and spoke in the language of the north, few southerns knew. "I can't leave them. Snow saved my life, William is my friend."  
Sara replied in Northern Tougne. "I know, so dont. Well go together. Just like old times."  
"No! Yer not going. Someone 'as to care for the farm, and if ya are caring our first child, it won't be easy for ya to track all day through the wild."  
"Stop with the baby talk. Fourth time in three years I 'ave missed my bleeding and not one baby. I am not getting my hopes up again." Sara glared into Eriks eyes, daring him to order her around again.  
"But I am right that the farm can't survive on its own. And weh need to stalk to the meat house." Erik pointed out.  
"But why can't you stay and I go?"  
"William came for meh, please Sara. If I'm not back in two weeks, and havnt sent word, go to Snows castle, I'll meet you there."  
Sara sighed and switched back to common tongue. " I don't like it, but it's the best weh got. Alright William. Ya got two weeks with my husband, after that I'm bangin on yer front door."  
"William smiled and gushed with thanks as he and Erik began planning. They'd leave in the morning.  
As Sara washed the dishes that Erik brought her, she thought on the lump of cold in her chest that had formed the instant she'd heard the hoof beats.


	2. Ride Out

Erik rode out the next morning, Erik's work horse dwarfing the battlion's long legged mounts.  
Sarah watched them go, the pit still in her stomach, a rolling too now. She felt sick almost.  
Her bow and a hunting trip calmed most of her nerves. Three rabbits, still no deer. She'd seen two, but they'd moved to fast. Skinning and stripping took up the rest of Sara's morning. Then the chores Erik had mentioned  
With only one horse they were lessened abit, but she still had wood to chop and a garden to maintain. She went to bed later then normal and got up earlier. The routine kept up for over a week. Sara counted the days like a madwoman. Always waiting for the sound of hooves.  
Her pattern was brocken on the 11th day. She was carving the buck she'd shot the night before, letting the blood that had not yet emptied from the carcass run into her hand and then into a bucket she could use later for wolf bait, when the gold raven landed three paces from her. It's beady black eyes glaring at her.  
An arrow landed in it's chest not four seconds later. Sara's horse was on the road heading northwest in under an hour.  
The ride to Tull's keep was half a day as the crow flies, but Sara's mount ran most of the way, making it in four hours. The beast was gasping for breath when the gates opened. Sara dismounted and handed the reigns off, not caring to who.  
"Sara! What brings you here?" John, a fellow huntsman called cheerily from his watch at the Grand doors. His smile fell when he saw her face.  
"Tull now. 'nd all our sisters and brothers. Weh all need te see this." John had the doors open before she finished speaking and ran off towards the bell tower when she was done.  
Sara cantered down one hallway after another, taking herself to the Chamber of Thrones, as it was dubbed now. Tull was running out of the doors as she approached, heading for the tower where John rang the bell, the low dongs shakings the stone floors.  
"Sara? What?" She said nothing. Simply opened the bag at her waist and held it out. Tull took at and almost cast it away when he saw the contents. "In now."  
Sara followed him in. A few hunters had already gathered, and more were slipping in the side halls. In moments the room was full.  
Tull and Sara stood before the dusty throne, waiting for all to gather, when enough had Tull raise a hand and the murmurs died. Sara reached into her bag and pulled from it the dead raven.  
"This landed at meh farm today. William of the southern kingdom rode wit Erik to hunt it down twelve days ago. They were due te return tomorrow. Has anyone seen or heard of them, they rode with a battalion, hard to miss."  
"They road east, then north, last I heard of the southern riders." Clarissa called out from the middle of the room..  
"Not of a battalion." Luke's voice came after, drifting from a back corner. "But of Huntsmen, two of them, following a flock north, four days ago."  
"A flock?" Sara turned to Tull.  
"You and Erik asked for peace so that's what I tried to give you. A flock of seven or eight birds like that one have been roosting in woods, east of here." Tull looked at Sara's eyes, asking her to see why he had told her nothing of it.  
"Is there anyway some meh have flock south? William said one was stalking Snow."  
"Perhaps."  
"Erik and I agreed to meet at Snow's castle if he did not return. I need to be there, she meh know something weh don't."  
Tull nodded, then turned toward the group of gathered Huntsmen. "As of now Erik is missing, do not presume dead or kidnapped, but be weary of anyone you may find with him. Choose amongst your selves who will join the parties. I need two heading east, one to the forest the birds have been flying to, and one watching the towns and roads. One will go keep watch on Sara and Erik's farm, while patroling the area for more birds, Sara killed one there, they may return. If you see Erik, send him to me. Sara will go south, three with her as guards. Two more parties, one to the north and one to the west. You will be smaller, watch roads and towns, listen for news, report back. All who remain with fortify this keep, all who need safety will be welcome here. GO."  
All fled the chamber, eager to be on their way. Sara glance at Tull before hugging him. "Thank you. I'll send work."  
Tull pulled back and looked her in the eye. "Be careful. Winters have been getting stronger and the birds are multiplping. See to it that Snow is ready."  
"I will." With that Sara ran from the room, back to the stables. She grabbed her horse and tacked him lightly. Then grabbed another she recognized as Tull's second favorite and lightly tacked him as well. The three going with her were each tacking two horses as well, putting light bags on one and nothing but tack on the other.  
"We've already pack you supplies." The one to speak was the only one she didn't recognize. "Names Orion. Joined the ranks after you left."  
"Bit old for an orphan aren't ye?" Sara asked, swinging herself up to the saddle of Tull's horse.  
"Came on my own after Freya's chill left my family dead. I planned on killing her but she was gone when I arrived. Tull trained me."  
"Sounds lovely. You ever ride this long before?" Sara questioned. "Don't worry about me. I'll deal." "I'll deal with both of you if we don't start riding soon." Bowen said pointedly by the stable doors. Sara turned her mounts and followed him.  
They got up to a trot when they hit the yard, Sara was the rider out the gates that day, but the men heading to Sara's farm were close behind, riding with one horse each instead two. Bowen and Orion flanked Sara soon enough. Neither saying a word, keeping their eyes on the road. Sara's party was already over the southern boarder when she realized a flaw in the whole plan. Erik had written to Snow about her and William had recognized her as she stood stood beside Erik, but Snow may not take kindly to a party of armed Huntsmen demanding shelter at her door.  
Don't worry yet, she told herself. You have a few days before you reach that point.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it has been a long time. Sorry.   
> No, I will not be updating on a regular bases. Sorry again.  
> Yes, I am a terrible person.   
> Yes, I hope to have this story done with in two years.  
> My main motivation is that I what to wrote another story but wont do that until this one is finished.

Orion was a good travelling compianion, few words from his mouth and fewer mistakes from his hands, wether he used them for riding or hunting.  
Bowen was grizzled and old. Hair more gray then it's old brown. His horses were mighty things he'd bought off traders as goals years ago. He eyes were keen and shoulders strong, his favored weapon, a long hefty spear, was strapped to his back.  
The third companion was a woman older then Sara and with a face that proved it. Her scares were only out numbered by her wrinkles. Fifty winters were behind her and while no one knew her birth names, folks had taken to calling her Buzzard.  
Buzzard was the only one of the company not to curse multiple times when the rain began. Sara was the loudest of the bunch and kept a steady stream of vulgarity pouring from her lips. But it did no good. The rain continued pouring onto them and freezing in awkward places.  
At dusk they stopped to rest, the horses were swapped and hard bread and cheese were strictly rationed out form each bag.  
"What's the south like?" Blizzard asked Sara half way through their meals.  
"I've never been to far south. But from what I saw, boggy. Marsh everywhere except the forest which are infested with dwarves and ogores." Sara did not enjoy thinking on the ogores very long, Erik still had burn scares across his back from them. She hoped they'd let it go.  
"The back oily ones? Till mentioned them a few times. What was their kingdom like?" Orion asked.  
Apparently not, Sara thought. "Hidden, full of liquid golden rivers and full of nasty things who want to take your head off."  
"How do you kill one?"  
Let go go boy, she growled to her self. "With fire or an arrow. Just like killing a lot of other things. Now yell me of your adventures."  
Orion shrugged. "I've hunted with the Huntsmen and trained with them since I found them. My family was burned to death when I was a boy and i wanted revenge, when I couldn't have it I took a position from which I could serve those who kept others from the same fate."  
"Noble. What about you Buzzard. What have you been up to since I left?"  
"Other them training this waste of armour? Nothing much." Her voice was a low growl from a throat injury long ago. "I've got myself a new mare and a good life. Now if only you and your blasted husband could stop pulling the world apart, I may be able to find some peace."  
Laughs rang out for a second. That was the end of their disscusion.  
Each swung themselves up onto their second mount, giving the first time to rest and pushed on through the night. Sara still rode point, guiding them and watchi bffgn the surrounding grass plains for trouble. It wasn't her fault for missing the bird flying high above them.  
It watched them all through out the night, not approaching them, to far away to listen to any conversation, and away from Sara's arrows; but it never wavered. Sometimes it would watch the surrounding world, but it never left them that noght, or any night after during their treck. It vanished before dawn but returned not long after dark.  
.............  
Trouble found them on the fourth day. Grassy plains a mear memory now as the four Huntsmen journied through a dense wood, it's roof of woven branches tight against the sun.  
Sara was hit first. A body flew down from the trees and slammed into her. The fall and collision knocked the wind out of her and she fought to move beneath a great weight.  
All around her were the sounds of battle, the squishing rip of flesh, the pounding of hooves, shouts filled with lain and fear, and clangs like brass bells that meant steal on steal.  
Sara got a hand free and ripped her nails across her attacks dirty face. He screamed and began pounding his first into her. A knife she always kept on her person was fished from inside her sleeve and jamed upwards. Her attacker blocked it and attempted to wrestle the blade from her. Sara reacted violently. Twisting her second hand free of his grasp and digging her nails into his eye socket. The eyeball popped under her assault and her fingers dung in. The man screamed and rolled away from her, clutching his wounded face. Sara stabbed him in the thigh and twisted, ensuring he wouldn't get up soon.  
A quick look around showed her that Bowen was down and the attacker in front of him was holding a sword, ready to bring it down. Sara leaped the eight feet between them and hit the assalinte behind the knees. They wrestled until the bandits greater weight forced Sara's back into the dirt. Her attacker raised a broken bit of metale with a sharp jagged end above their head only to have the hand grabbed and the arm cut into with a small axe.  
Orion stood behind the ragged assalint and shoved his dagger into the bandit's back. The bandit dropped toward Sara but she rolled away and leap up, wishing for her bow when she noticed one attacker riding off with Tull's horse.  
Blizzard was on one of Bowen's mounts and chasing the robber however, so Sara didn't feel to bad.  
She glanced around and took in the effects of the attack. One of Orions mounts was dead. A rusty knife implanted in the poor beast's neck. Bodies littered the ground. Two still alive. One was her ealier attack and another was pinned to a tree with a sword through their shoulder. Buzzard's work no doubt.  
Orion and Sar quickly went to Bowen's side, checking his wounds, and helping him up. A bad hit on his head and a broken ankle but nothing life threatening. He pushed their helping hands away and lowered himself onto a rock at the road side.  
"Seemed like nine to me. A bit over confidant. How many got away?" Asked Orion.  
"I only saw one. And Buzzards on the poor bloke's trail now. He won't live long. Get the living tied up now. Rope is in my sadle bag. Sara, help me with me ankle."  
Orion did as he was told. Tieing also the crippled one's leg and bandging the other's should, he didn't want them dieing yet. Sara checked Bowen's ankle and wrapped it snugglly with a bandage and took a splint from her bags, adding that on with more bandages she then helped Bowen's foot back into it's boot.  
They waited then. Buzzard came back sooner them expected with the body and both horses.  
Four hours were wasted that morning. The bandits were interagated then killed. And all the bodies were burned. Nothing more then hungry men, the poorest of the poor, trying to feed themselves, they'd claimed. Not one of the Huntsmen believed them. These were not good men. Enough gold was found on each to mean they had enough money live by. A mark was found on three backs. A gold raven. These men were entangled in some th ing dark, and Snow needed to know what was happening to her Northern Lands.


End file.
